New frontiers
I’m through posting on online forums for anything but club meeting announcements and other business-type stuff. No lengthy discussions, no heuristic expositions. There is no benevolent universe in online forums. Those that would otherwise create that universe - I know many of them personally, and we can take our discussions elsewhere.
The concept of what used to be called "salons" really interests me. I don’t think an informal version of that is much different from what I already do - hanging out and having great conversation with friends and friends of friends. Honest, open, exploring conversation where we actually build knowledge, expand views, acknowledge and celebrate improvement, revel in the awesomeness of our own minds, and treat disagreements as great opportunities for learning, without fragile egoes and imperious proclamations constantly disrupting the flow of thought. This is where the concept of a benevolent universe shines through, outside of each of our selves.
On a related note, I’ll be starting a series of posts (hopefully on a new page, if I can figure out how to do that) on modern (i.e. last 35 years) topics in evolutionary theory, and in what ways the general public’s understanding of evolution is actually waaaaaaaay out of date and inaccurate, and trying to succinctly, and interestingly, fill in the gaps as best I can. (Succinct meaning I can type it in one evening, and is shorter than Crime and Punishment….). I want to improve my ability to communicate these concepts to interested and constructive non-evolutionary-biologists, as well as explore some of the frontiers in evolutionary theory.
[Update: I decided against the page on evolution. Too much to do.]
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Dude GO FOR IT. I’d defnitely be reading it! I want to start one on neuroscience… but (on the count of 1, 2, 3,.. *grin*): “After MCAT!” *laugh* Just need to find a good way to set up a salon somehow… we’ll talk tomorrow, 11am. :)
Comment by Jenna — March 12, 2006 @ 5:41 am